America's forsaking the Word of God

ANXIETY, TROUBLES AND FEAR—OH MY!

Conversation took an anxiety fork-in-life at a dinner party the other night when the subject turned to the state of our world. One lady announced she had just received her food survival supply that would last her two or three years should everything go-to-hell in that Dior bag.
With the deluge in Texas this past month, I had my own chaotic moment last Friday when I walked out onto the patio during an interlude in the storm to find run-off water inching over the slab stabilizing our air-conditioning unit. Terror of what the water would do to the unit, fear of the electricity and water combo, amped my anxious level to bell-ringing jangles.
Then last night, just before bedtime, a tornado warning blared from our weather radio. The rotating storm seemed to be swirling along the same path the Van tornadoes had traveled a few weeks prior. And I was anxious. Anxious over the security of all my stuff as we finally settled in for a troubled night’s sleep—just me, hubs, and the weather radio.
And today there’s the nagging fear over saturated soil and standing water around the foundation of our home. The blackland area of East Texas, where we live, expands when wet and contracts, cracks, and heaves when dry. Foundation problems cost jillions of dollars to repair. Dollars we don’t have.
So what’s tapping a dance over your anxious buttons today? Family problems? Financial woes? Health issues? World affairs? The list of potential hazards could fill a book, couldn’t they?
But God says:“Do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?…Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. …But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”(Matthew 6:25-34 NAS).

So what are we supposed to do when the weather radio shrieks warning? When the world scene screams disaster? And when our country or our families seem to be on a downward spiral toward ruin? Fold our hands, kick back with a glass of tea, and just read our Bibles and pray?
Is that what God instructs? I don’t think so.
God gave you and me a brain and an ability to think. Instead of knuckling to an anxious muddle, I’m to use my God given ability to ask Him to help me think and act.
Last night, while sirens ripped the air, I called several neighbors I knew who wouldn’t have been listening to the news. Then I took my laptop and jump drives containing my soon-to-be published book and the beginning twelve chapters of its sequel and stashed them, along with a few other valuables, in what I hoped would be a safe place should the tornado strike.
And when I saw the water topping the air-conditioning slab last Friday, I grabbed a shovel, flipped the circuit breaker, and dug a shallow ditch to allow the backed-up water a place to drain. And it did.
God tells us “In this world you will have trouble…”but we are not to despair, “…He has overcome the world.” And He lays out a plan of action to lasso and rein in our ready-to-panic fears.“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NAS).

So how does that work out in real time? First of all I say thank you. “Thank You, Lord, for the rain. We’ve asked You to send rain to end the drought, and You’ve been faithful. I’m Yours Lord, and everything around me, all these worldly goods, You’ve provided. It’s all Yours, to give or take away.” Then I’m to ask for what I think I need, according to His word. “Give me wisdom to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do what is needed.”
Yes, we heard the weather radio all through the night, but God was gracious to allow us to go right back to sleep. And this time there were no tornadoes. But I can affirm, other times the storms have inflicted damage in our lives—the loss of a daughter—the loss of jobs—financial woes—life threatening health problems—but God has always been faithful to carry us safely through life’s hazards and given us that promised peace to “…guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
And child of God, He will do the same for you…if you ask Him. And to those of you who haven’t placed your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ yet, the Spirit says:“Come unto Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light” (Matthew 11: 28-30 NAS).

DiAne – Your love pat on my shoulder and kind words blessed me beyond measure today! I’ve been receiving your writings by email only for a short time – your words woven in with His Word and pictures are very nice and this one really was special to me..Your love and faith for Christ is evident – press on!
Angela Biggs

Angela, you and Dan are in our thoughts and prayers daily. And we will continue to lift all of you to the Throne of God’s grace for help and healing. I’m so grateful you two are in our SS class. We will both press on! ❤

And as always, when we share our faith we are tested. Once again today we face severe weather. You can feel it in the air. Thank you for reading and commenting…we’re all in this together. Pray for one another. ❤

DiAne, your blogs cover a lot of territory, and are always more than an inch deep. Living what you write is as important to us as your words, His words. Thanks for not giving us platitudes, but practical daily guidelines to focus on our inner resources, His Spirit, and Christ’s Hand on our lives. Praying for your next storm.

Texans woke up this morning knowing today was going to be a repeat of the past month, maybe worse. All of Texas is under tornado watch until evening. But as I listened to the news reports coming out of the San Antonio and Hill Country area, I am ashamed at my concerns over my petty stuff. Twelve folks are missing outside of San Antone. Severe property damage. Homes and roads and people, swept away. And they are watching the levy system in Dallas with great concern.

Our job is to be on our faces before our Father for the needs of this vast number of people. Last evening tornadoes hit a Mexican border town across from Del Rio (I think I remember the town right). And many were killed.

But we serve a God who spoke a word and the sea fell down flat. We ask for His mercy this afternoon for anxious, hurting people in Texas and all over the globe.

However, we are to also be searching the Word…Jesus told us that as the days of the end drew near there would be an increase in natural disasters. It’s not a time for the Christian to be frightened, but to put on the armor and get into those white fields that are ready to be harvested…brothers and sisters waiting to be rescued! ❤

Thank you Diane for this article. I needed this today and God led me to your email. You taught Grief Share at 1st Baptist several years ago and my daughter and I attended after my mother died. This was a great help to me and I pray God’s blessing for you and the help you give everyone that reads your blog.
Today I was so low and didn’t know how to handle a situation with my husband but my daughter called and prayed for me and said everything I needed God to do. I cannot put into words how much comfort came into my
heart. This prayer covered everything that I needed and God answered immediately.
Now I have read your article and this was the icing on the cake; Philippans 4:6-7 and Matthew 11:28-30.
I pray God blesses you in a mighty way for the help you are giving people through the scripture. I plan on reading your articles in the future so I can be ready when the trials come I will be better prepared. Love,Eloise Davis

Eloise, writing is such a lonely occupation and your words of affirmation today are the reason I write…to glorify God and to help His children by reminding them what He has told us. And we all need that help sometimes. I think about you and daughter every time I click your name to send the blog and trust you are both doing well. I still lead GriefShare, but out in our small town of Crandall, Texas. The lines of hurting people never seems to grow shorter.

DiAne is an artist, writer, photographer, and GriefShare facilitator who also leads an adult edit group for North Texas Christian Writers, LifeSavers is for adults who are serious about their writing skills.
DiAne's YA novel "Roped" released by Prism Book Group was named a YA finalist for the Grace Awards, finaled in The Christian Literary Henri Awards for 2016, and was named #5 in The Top Ten Christian Reads for Teens and Tweens 2016.
The second book, TWISTED, in the Roped Series was released by Pelican Book Group, July 14, 2017. Both are available on Amazon.com. Be sure to check DiAne's blog, "Moving the Ancient Boundaries" at https://dianegates.wordpress.com/